Roadside Memorial sign policy Reminder

 The El Dorado County Transportation Division is reminding the public about its roadside memorial sign policy.

"It is understandable that friends and family want to erect roadside memorials at the scene where a loved one was lost," said Don Spear of the Transportation Division. "Unfortunately, the memorials can become traffic hazard themselves."

Due to these safety concerns unauthorized roadside memorials are prohibited in county right-of-way. Family members may apply to have a memorial sign constructed and installed by transportation department staff.

The Board of Supervisors approved the roadside memorial policy in December of 2009. Spear noted that the policy allows flexibility given the sensitivity of the issue.

"We generally allow 30 days for the family to remove an unauthorized memorial," said Spear. "After that our crews will remove the memorial and allow the family to recover its contents if they choose."

Families may apply to have a standardized sign installed for one year honoring their loved one. Memorial signs are 12 by 18 inches in size with reflective blue backgrounds and white lettering. The fee for the sign construction and installation costs is $265. Authorized memorial signs will remain in the right-of-way for one year. Signs are placed as close to the accident location as possible given installation and traffic safety requirements.

The entire roadside memorial policy and sign applications are available on the Transportation Division’s website:  http://edcgov.us/Government/DOT/Apps.aspx